Signing off mid-contract

Your right to sign off mid-contract is conditional. MLC 2006 lists six grounds for repatriation at the shipowner's expense (Standard A2.5.1), and the SEA may list additional company-paid sign-off triggers. Outside those grounds, signing off is normally treated as a breach of the SEA and you bear repatriation costs and may forfeit accrued leave. This topic helps you understand the difference between the legally-protected grounds and the at-your-cost route.

Step-by-step

1. Identify the legal ground: serious illness/injury, family emergency (death or critical illness of immediate family, where the SEA permits), abandonment, shipwreck or sale of the vessel, owner's serious breach of the SEA, expiry of contract. MLC A2.5.1.
2. Document the ground in writing to the master before any verbal request. For a family emergency, provide hospital report / death certificate / official documentation.
3. Request a written acknowledgement that your sign-off is being treated as MLC A2.5.1 (owner-paid) and not as voluntary mid-contract sign-off (you-paid). Disputes over which it is are extremely common.
4. If the company refuses your sign-off on owner-paid grounds: file the on-board complaint per MLC A5.1.5. Notify the flag state and the ITF inspector at the next port.
5. Do NOT sign a release waiver of claims in exchange for repatriation. You can lose your wage-claim rights, your accident-claim rights, and your future return rights with the company.
6. If you sign off voluntarily (no MLC A2.5.1 ground): the owner can deduct repatriation costs, can withhold leave pay, and can mark you 'not eligible for rehire' across the management group. Some CBAs (IBF Maersk, Anglo-Eastern) reduce this penalty if 60 days' notice is given.

Evidence to save

• Written notice to master with date + ground (MLC A2.5.1 trigger)
• Supporting evidence for the ground (death cert / hospital report / company breach record)
• Master's written acknowledgement classifying the sign-off as owner-paid vs voluntary
• Wage account up to sign-off date

What NOT to sign

• Acknowledgement that sign-off is voluntary when an MLC A2.5.1 ground applies
• Release of claims for any owed wages or leave pay
• Waiver of future-rehire rights without legal review

Legal basis

MLC 2006 Reg. 2.5 and Standard A2.5.1 (entitlements to repatriation). ILO C 166 (where applicable). CBA-specific provisions in IBF/ITF TCC and national CBAs. Where the owner is in serious breach, repatriation costs are recoverable as damages under the SEA.

Organisations that can help

Disclaimer. General information only — not legal advice. Rules vary by flag state, port state, vessel type, applicable CBA, and contract. For specific cases, contact ITF, ISWAN, your union, or a maritime lawyer.